Indicator for motor-carriages.



A. M. HUDSON. l INDICATOR FOR MOTOR OARRIAGES.

APPLICATION FILED DEO.6, 1907.

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A. M. HUDSGN. INDICATOR FOR MOTOR CARRIAGES APPLICATION FILED DBGA e. 1907.

Patented Jan. 19, 1909.

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INDICATOR FOB, MOTOR-CARRIAGES.

v No. eidaev.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER M. HUD- soN, citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State fof New York, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in lIndicators for Motor-Carriages, of .which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to indicators for motor carriages, and has for its object the construction of various related devices hav ing particular construction and special arrangement whereby there may be set forth alternately upon a single dial by the agency of a single battery net, the speed at which the vehicle is moving at any time, water, or lubricating oil contained in -the receptacles forthem.

I accomplish the stated obiect by fashioning andA associating the different elements substantially asrillustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 represents a face View of the indicator `dial and box with portions broken away to disclose internal parts. Fig. 2 is a vertical section upon the line X-X of Fig. 1. F ig.A 3 is a plan view of the circular armature, showing the roughened or knurled face. Fig. 4 is a top view of the electromagnet showing the non-magnetic pole guards which are also roughened.

Like reference numbers are employed throughout to refer to the same parts.

Considering the drawings, it will be noted that 'the box 1 has arranged at the upper part a dial 2. A hand 3 is arranged to sweep the dial, and the ,extremity of the hand comes into contact with one after another of the insulated contacts 4 borne by the dial. Y

At `the lower portion of the front of the AboX are shown four pedals 5. Each pedal has a recess 6 in its center or hub, and a pin 7 projects from the rock shaft 8 through each recess 6. Thus, either pedal may be operated on rocking shaft 8 without dis turbing the remaining pedals. Secured upon the rocking shaft is a relatively larger grooved pulley 9, and a wire cord 10 connects it with the relatively smaller grooved pulley 11 shown in Fig. 2. Pulley 11 is con' structed of one piece with a 4disk 12, and a spiral spring 13 connects that disk with the hand 3. The hand 3 `is not otherwise con- :nectedv with the disk or smaller pulley, but

lSpecification of Letters Patent. Application filed December 6, 1907. Serial No. 405,404.

' convenient manner.

and a single electro-magand the amount of fuel,A

ascertaining the speed,

Patented aan. 19, 190e.

is free to move with the sleeve 14 towhich it is attached. The smaller pulley 11 and the disk 12 rotate upon the sleeve 14. The circular armature 15 rotates with sleeve 14, and has a movement along the sleeve '14 when it is attracted towards the pole guards 16, and the coil spring 17 tends to keep the armature yieldingly laway 'from the" lpole guards.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the inner face of thecircular armature and the faces of the pole guards 16 are roughened in some It is also to be understood that the pole guards, 16 are of nonmagnetic metal in order that there may be no sticking when the armature is released. To provide for the limited movement of the armature 15 along the sleeve 14, a pin l18 fixed in the sleeve 14 engages a slot 1,9 in the center Aor hub of the armature. Thus, the magnet V20 when energized draws the armature into contact with fthe pole guards, vand when a circuit is broken, the spring `17 moves the armature from the magnet. The dial may be lighted at lnight by a suitably arranged glow lamp 21. For the purpose of ployed, -drivenby the movement of the carriage, and `attached to thebrush 23. As the :governor is operated lit overcomes the tension, more or less, of springs 24, and the brush 23 moves along the oommutator 25. The brush' may be held againstrotation by having its end in movable contact with the a governor 22 is emconducting bar 26 arranged .opposite the commutator. The casing inclosing the governor is supported upon the driving shaft of the carriage and prevented fromvrotating by suitable connection with the` fra-me 28 of the vehicle.

Fluid columns 29 of any desired size are 4each provided with a cord 30 which passes over a small pulley and-has one end connected tothe slide 31, which may rise and fall in metallic contact with the insulated rod The brush 33 on the slide' Vis thus broughtinto contact one after another with the insulated plates 34 arranged in succession upon the outside of the column. As the float rises or falls the slide is moved correspondingly. The slide is at the top of the rod' 32 when the column is empty, and at the bottom of the rod when the lcolumn is filled with liquid.

Considering the lower portion of the bok` in Fig. 1, it will be -observed that each Gis (ad pedal has attached to or formed integrally with its hub, a sleeve 3G, movable with respect to the shaft 3, and at the end of each sleeve 3G is av disk 37. Now inspecting Fig. 2, it is seen that one side of the disk 37 is cut olf upon the chord of an arc of the circle, and rests flatwise against the auxil iary spring 38, which in its turn lies against the conductor spring 39, although the two springs are insulated one from the other. Spring 39 has its free end very near but not touching the insulated conducting strip 40. Current is supplied by a single battery 41 of suitable strength.

rllhe spring 42 shown in Fig. 2 is introduced to return the hand into its normal attitude. The spring 42 is connected with the cord 43 which is attached to the grooved pulley 44. In Fig. 2 the hand is shown ,as having been moved quarter way round the dial face, and the spring 42 is somewhat compressed. lts reaction draws upon theV cord 43, turns pulley 44., and brings the hand 3 against its stop 45. Let it be assumed that the driver of the carriage seeks to learn how much fuel oil he has remaining. He presses the pedal second from the right 'with his foot. He presses the pedal all the Way down as far as it will go. By means of pulley 9, cord 10, and pulley 11, the disk 12 is now turned and by reason of the connection through spiral spring 13 with thehand 3, the hand is also turned, 4but with a somewhat lagging movement at the start, owing to the facts that it frictionally engages contact 4 and that the force of spring 42 must be overcome by the greater stiffness of spring 13. In other words. the spiral spring 13 must be of such strength as to move the hand 3 promptly in spite of the friction with contacts 4 andthe tension ofl lthe weaker spring 42.

In accordance with the arrangement ofthe parts of my invention illustrated herein, when the hand reaches the Contact 4 against Which is the larger numeral 3, or any chosen mark, a circuit is completed from thatcontact by Way of conductor 46 and its branch 47 to the fourth plate 34 from the top in the middle column which contains the fuel or part thereof. Brush 33 of slide 31 lies in contact with that plate 34, and the current passes by way of conductor 49, conductor spring 39, and strip 40, through. battery 4 1` and by way of the conductor 48 through magnet 20, thence to the casing. with which the conductor is joined, and, obviously, to-

hand 3 and the contact by reason of the metallic connection of the hand with the casino l. The circular armature isv instantly attracted, and the roughened surfaces of the armature and the pole guards 16 engage. The armature cannot further rotate, nor can the sleeve 14, but the disk 12 may rotate further, With the result of additionally coiling @meer is moved by the operation of the pedal, thel extent of its movement when the magnet is energized is independent of the extent of the movement of the pedal. As soon'as the foot is taken from the pedal the combined l forces of springs 38 and 39 acting below the center of disk37 return the disk and pedal to their normal positions of rest and hold them there. It will be noted further that the contact between spring 39 and strip 40 occurs atthe outset and continues as long as the pedal is held down. The Contact -occurs when the hand 3 touches the rst of contacts 4. Next let the speed pedal be pressed and assume that the speed of the motor is suchl that the brush 23 contacts with that bar of commutator 25 corresponding -to sixteen miles speed in one hour. yi The circuit now is made from the contact 4 against which iscircuit is broken. A stop 50 o'n cord 43 limits the action of spring 42 and prevents the end of hand 3 from, being thrown too violently against its own stop 45; While desirable, the stop 50 is not essential.

The central rod or bolt 5l supports the ro-.

tating sleeves and pulleys as shown in Fig.

- 2. Thus, it is believed to be now clear that vthe single battery and magnet are arranged show the speed, or amounts of Water,- fuel and oil upon the same dial.

Having now described my invention and explained the mode of its operation, what I claim is- 1. In an indicator, the combination with a dial" provided with insulated contacts, of a' hand arranged to sweep the dial and touch the contacts successively, a stationary magnet in circuit :with the saidfhand and contacts, an armature -for said magnet arranged to rotate with vthe said hand, and means including a spring and adapted to move the hand and armature, substantially as vdescribed.

2. In an indicator, the combination with a dial provided with insulated contacts, of a hand arranged to sweep the dial and4 touch the contacts successively, a cominutator, a brush, devices constructed to move the brush in Contact with the commutator, a stationary magnet, in circuit with the said hand and insulated contacts and With the said commutator, an armature for said magtion of spring 42 returns the hand when the to operate the hand of the single dial to iid let arranged to rotate with the said hand, ,nd means including a spring and adapted o move the hand and amature, substanially as described. Y

3. In an indicator, the combination with a` lial provided with insulated contacts,l of a 1and arranged to sweep the dial andl touch ,he contacts successively, a circuit-breaking levice, a stationary magnet in circuitwth ,he said hand and insulated contacts Aand` vith the said circuit-breaking device, an Lrmature for said magnet larranged to rotate with the said hand, and means 4including a.; ;pring and adapted to move the handand Lrmature, substantially as described.

4. In an indicator, the combination with a band arranged to sweep the dial and touch the contacts successively,- a stationary magnet, an armature for said magnet arranged to rotate withthe said hand, andy means inn cluding a spring and a circuit-breaking device and adapted tomove the hand and armature, the said m net being in circuit with the hand and insu ated contacts and with the said circuit-breaking device, substantially as described. 1

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses: v

.Mrs W. W. HARTEL,

lial provided with insulated contacts, of a WALTER W. HAMEL. 

